The Senior Scene

Multiple Sclerosis Helping Hands Donor Closet (MSHH) Tacoma, located at 3635 South Lawrence Street, Suite E, opened its doors in July and has been busy ever since.

MSHH began in Edmonds 17 years ago as the brainchild of Bill Brayer. Brayer, who has had MS for the last 67 years, was co-facilitator of a support group when he stumbled upon some used medical equipment. He hauled it home to his garage and let folks know he would give it away to anyone who needed it.

“It was gone in an hour,” he said.

Folks heard of Brayer’s quest to help folks who needed the equipment, and suddenly a whole lot of used medical equipment started to pour in.

“A couple of people had equipment in their garage and called me, and soon my garage was filled up. I couldn’t get my cars in the garage any more so I’ve moved everything to a storage facility,” he said.

That move was followed by another to downtown Edmonds. MSHH is now located in a 7,500 square-foot space at 409 Howell Way in Edmonds.

MSHH became a non-profit agency and began accepting used equipment, refurbishing it and making it available to others at a greatly reduced price.

Brayer is now 83 years old and has turned over the reins of the operation to others.

“My health isn’t that great, and now I get stuff from there for myself when I need it. MSHH will go on forever for people who need equipment and can’t afford it,” he said.

MSHH is a source for people to donate medial equipment they no longer need and pass on to others who have a permanent or temporary need for it.

Customers walking through the door of MSHH Donor Closet in Tacoma are in for a pleasant surprise. They are greeted by volunteers and a wide variety of clean, repaired and well organized medical equipment ready to purchase for a suggested donation.

David Forrest, the Donor Closet manager, said volunteers organized and arranged equipment in June and opened the doors July 1. They are open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Anyone that has a need for durable medical equipment is welcome,” he said.

The Tacoma location has a large supply, including hospital beds, rollators, wheelchairs, scooters, power chairs, lift chairs and walkers.

“We have a dedicated crew. A majority of folks we serve are seniors, but everyone is welcome,” said Forrest.

Laura Justice runs the front office of MSHH in Tacoma one day a week. She loves working with staff and customers.

“It is amazing when you connect a person with a piece of equipment they need,” she said.

When donations start to roll in, the staff gives each piece of equipment the once-over, making any needed repairs to be sure it is in good working condition and cleaning it up before putting it on the floor. All donations go right back into the cost of the building, supplies for keeping the building going, and the repair of equipment.

“Everyone is 100 percent volunteer, and no one that works here receives a penny,” said Forrest, adding that volunteers are always needed.

Gene Schwarz, who volunteers Wednesdays and Fridays, owned a medical equipment company for 17 years and had been retired for 20 years. When he received a postcard announcing the opening of MSHH in Tacoma, he went right down and volunteered.

Schwarz is a pro at helping customers learn how to use equipment and makes sure they are comfortable with it before they take it home.

“I don’t like to send anything out the door that people don’t know how to use,” he said.

Pat Laferriere, a customer who was looking for a piece of equipment for a friend who has Parkinson’s disease, appreciates the hands-on treatment of the volunteers.

“It is different here. Everyone is a volunteer and they either have a disability or know someone who has one, and they really care. They give you information and insight,” she said.

Gene Borden, manager of the Edmonds location, moved to that area after his wife died in 2007. “After three weeks I was so bored,” he said. “My landlord owns the MSHH building, and when I came in to pay my rent, I asked if there was anything I could do. Sure enough, there was. I’ve been here nine years now.”

Borden said he gets a real thrill out of seeing people’s faces when they find the right medical equipment.

“They go out of here knowing they are no longer trapped in their houses,” he said.

Brayer said he is proud of what MSHH has accomplished. He said some doctors steer their patients to MSHH when they are in need of equipment.

“I kept it going for 17 years working five or six days a week and running the support group,” said Brayer, who still runs a group in Edmonds.

 

Joan Cronk, who wrote this article, is a freelance writer.

When you meet Angela DiMeglio, a volunteer with the Senior Companion program, and her client, Elaine Jakoski, it is obvious how the relationship benefits each of them. They truly enjoy each other’s company.

DiMeglio has been a volunteer with the program run by Lutheran Community Services Northwest for a little over a year. She has three clients and sees each of them for four to five hours a week.

Her relationship with Jakoski involves errands such as driving her to doctor appointments and shopping, and being there for lots of visiting.

Senior Companion is a federally funded program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), said program director Julie Kerrigan.

“We are one of only four Senior Companion Programs in the Washington and Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW) has been offering the program since 1996,” said Kerrigan. It is a national volunteer program whose goal is to recruit low-income seniors to serve a frail or isolated senior or person with a disability in a meaningful one-on-one relationship, she explained.

“Our hope is to keep people living independently in their own homes as long as possible. We train senior volunteers to provide services such as transportation and grocery shopping. I call them professional friends,” said Kerrigan.

Volunteers don’t cook, clean or dispense medication. Many take their clients to a movie or a senior center.

“People really enjoy their volunteers, and the volunteers look forward to their visits” because it gives them an opportunity to get out of the house and have a purpose, Kerrigan said.

The program matches clients with volunteers to ensure a good fit for both. Volunteers go through 40 hours of extensive training, including guest speakers, job-shadowing and role-playing. Each volunteer also submits to several background checks.

Volunteers receive a small stipend and mileage reimbursement for their service.

DiMeglio said she gets as much out of visiting with her clients as she gives them.

“We understand what it is like to need someone, and I am fortunate to have three women as clients. We’ve developed a lot of trust, and we laugh a lot,” she said, adding that her volunteer work offers her another opportunity to socialize. Sometimes she bakes with her clients and takes them to thrift shops or to the.

Jakoski suffers from Huntingdon’s Disease and is very grateful for the companionship and friendship that DiMeglio offers.

DiMeglio was headed out of town for a few days recently, and Jakoski said she would miss her.

“We will have to have some make up visits when she returns,” she said.

 

Joan Cronk, who wrote this article, is a freelance writer from Puyallup.

 

In 1961, the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society opened shop with six members. At the end of the first year, their membership had grown to 54 members and currently hovers around 150 folks anxious and excited to look into their past and make new discoveries.
Member Carol Rikerd said she became curious about her family history when she and her brother made a discovery, asked their mother about it and, when she refused to discuss it, Rikerd was determined to learn more.
“That sparked our curiosity because my grandfather was illegitimate and that was the cause of her reticence,” she said.
In 2011, after her mother’s death, Rikerd discovered letters from her grandmother and learned, among other things, that her grandfather was a circuit-riding minister.
“Oh, this was a mystery and I was going to solve it,” she said.
She started her journey into the past by visiting the Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room, where she took a basic genealogy class.
“If you are trying to find family history or just general history, the Northwest Room is a diamond mine,” she said.
On her first visit to the Genealogical Society, Rikerd said she learned more in two hours than she had learned in class. “I was hooked on genealogy,” she said.
Members of the Society are very passionate about their quest to discover the past.
George Snyder is the group’s vice president in charge of education. He joined in 2000 and said the Society offers a lot of tips on doing research, adding that the Internet has made a huge difference in delving into the past.
Snyder said there are three “Cs” to genealogy: Curiosity that helps dig into family lines. Commitment that keeps the research going. And creativity which is required for generating ancestral narratives, as well as creating new questions to ask that aid in future research.
When Snyder discovered his grandfather had served on a jury in 1911 and was picked to serve on a murder trial, his interest was captured.
“I called the Tacoma Public Library and asked if they were aware of a trial for a murder, and they went back and gave me the names and I could go forward,” he said.
Snyder said genealogy “is like opening a door into the past.”
The Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society meets at Bates Technical College’s South Campus at 2201 S. 78th St. in Tacoma. More information about the Society is available at http://www.tpcgs.org.